Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Acquired by Diversify Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its Applied Materials stake by 198.3% in the first quarter, ending with 13,496 shares valued at about $4.6 million.
• Several analysts remain bullish on AMAT, with firms like B. Riley and Stifel raising price targets and the stock carrying an overall Moderate Buy rating with an average target of $589.48.
• Applied Materials reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, and also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 198.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 13,496 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,972 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,613,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 218.8% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AMAT. B. Riley Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Erste Group Bank raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $589.48.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. The trade was a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $602.50 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $517.90 and a 200 day moving average of $403.30. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $478.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials rallied after CEO Gary Dickerson said chipmakers have “tremendous visibility” into demand, implying the AI investment cycle could support equipment orders for years rather than quarters. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Jumps after CEO Says AI Chip Demand Has Years to Run
• Positive Sentiment: Meta Platforms’ reported plan to begin manufacturing an in-house AI chip helped spark a broader rally in semiconductor equipment stocks, including Applied Materials, on expectations that AI infrastructure spending will remain strong. Applied Materials stock jumps as Meta AI chip plan lifts semiconductor names
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel and Needham both raised their price targets on AMAT and kept buy ratings, reinforcing the view that improving fundamentals and AI-driven demand could support further upside. Applied Materials PT Raised to $650 at Stifel
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials was removed from several Russell value-oriented indices in late June, a classification change that reflects the stock’s shift toward being viewed more as an AI/semiconductor growth name than a value stock. How Investors Are Reacting To Applied Materials (AMAT) Being Dropped From Key Russell Value Indices
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no reported short interest as of July 10, offering little evidence of bearish positioning from the latest filing.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a U.S.-based supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat panel displays and other advanced materials. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company designs and sells capital equipment and related technologies that enable production of integrated circuits, display panels and materials used across the electronics supply chain.

Applied Materials' offerings include process equipment and factory software that support critical steps in device fabrication, such as deposition, etch, implantation, inspection and metrology, as well as systems for packaging and advanced heterogeneous integration.

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